Wheeled stuffed toy



Oct. 19, 1965 H. MILLER WHEELED STUFFED TOY 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1963 INVENTOR. bur/P020 N M C 2 7 @kb ATTORNEY Oct. 19, 1965 H. MILLER WHEELED STUFFED TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1963 INVENTOR. flAAazo N/LLEI? ATTO/P/Vf/ United States Patent 3,212,212 WHEELED STUFFED TOY Harold Miller, Jackson Heights, N.Y., assignor to Esther Miller Doll Creations, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 24, 1963, Ser. No. 289,981 Claims. (Cl. 46-103) The present invention relates to a wheeled stuffed toy, and it particularly relates to a toy of animate shape which has been stuffed and which is provided with a wheeled construction.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a wheeled stuffed toy of the character above described in which the toy may be readily combined with a wheeled construction without detracting from the stuffed toy thereof and in which the toy will have an attractive appearance without losing the form and contour of a typical stuffed toy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making stuffed toys in which the stuffed toy may be readily supported upon a floor or horizontal surface and moved thereon by means of wheeled members.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactory according to one embodiment of the present invention to provide a sleeve particularly of a woven plush-like fabric and with an insert at one side thereof, to form at the bottom of the toy, consisting of a relative sheet plastic material.

This sheet plastic material will form the bottom of the toy and will in turn act to carry and support a laminated or other type of wooden board construction which will be held in position against the plastic sheet.

The plastic sheet should exceed the width of the rectangular bottom board in both width and length and the woven tubular body should be stitched to the plastic material just beyond the periphery of the edge of the rectangular board.

The board itself is designed to carry the wheel members which may be rotatably mounted in sleeves extending through the plastic bottom of the tubular members as well as through the board itself into the stuffed interior of the toy itself.

Desirably the board and covering plastic material should receive at a desired position two locking members which not only will hold the plastic cover and board together but which will also serve to form pivot mounts for the rotatable wheeled shafts.

The wheels desirably are independently mounted and provided with a yoke extending along-sides of the wheels which in turn is held by the pivot stud extending through the sleeve mounted in and extending through the plastic cover and laminated board or bottom structure of the toy.

The sleeves are desirably split so as to spring apart at their upper ends when the pivot studs of the wheels are forced thereinto.

Desirably the sleeve extends a short distance above the boards and into the stuffed filling of the toy so that the enlarged upper ends of the pivot studs which are forced through the sleeves will snap into position and be held securely therein.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the in vention consists of the novel construction, combination 3,212,212 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 "ice and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a side top perspective View showing one form of the toy of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken upon the line 22 of FIG. 1 and upon an enlarged scale as compared to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken upon the line 33 of FIG. 1 and upon an enlarged scale as compared to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3a is a fragmentary transverse sectional view showing the connection between the corner of the internal construction and the bottom plastic cover.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown a typical stuffed toy which as shown has taken the form of a bear but which may be made in a variety of other animal shapes, such as a horse, lamb, dog, bull, lion, tiger and the like.

Desirably, the toy consists of a tubular member A having the front construction B carrying the head C with a tail D.

The head and front construction B are normally finished as shown in FIG. 1 leaving the rear E open for insertion purposes.

The base F of the toy consists of a plastic sheet G of about the same weight and thickness as the plush tubular enclosure A which is stitched in position as indicated at H to the lower edge 10 of the tubular enclosure adjacent the bottom D.

The board or base carrying the structure I is desirably inserted from the rear end E before the toy is stuffed and then the stufiing material K is forced into the body or enclosure A filling the entire tubular structure as well as the head C until it expands until the approximate scale or rectangular cross sectional shape as shown in FIG. 3.

After the insertion of the board I and the stufiing K has been completed, the rear of the toy will be closed and stitched together as indicated along the seam 11 which extends vertically across the rear end B.

When this is accomplished the board I together with the plastic cover G may be drilled to form the holes 12 of suflicient size to tightly fit the bearing sleeves .13 as shown in FIG. 3.

These bearing sleeves 13 are split as indicated at "14 so that they will resiliently engage the shaft members or pivot members 15 inserted thereinto.

The upper ends .16 of the sleeves as shown in FIG. 3 should extend into the lower portion 17 of the stuffed body.

The sleeves 13 will be held in position by means of the toothed cut members 18 which have teeth 19 projecting both through the plastic cover G and into the wood or plaque I.

The pivot shaft members 15 have enlarged lower portions 20 which are peaned over and are connected to the fiat top portion of the inverted U-shaped members 22 which as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are turned to one side as indicated at 23 to the pivots or horizontal shafts 24 carrying the plastic wheels 25.

The plastic wheels 25 being set to the side are off center of the shafts 15 and cause the wheels 25 to be turned with the rotation of the shafts 15 being in the direction to which the toy is pushed.

The stufiing K should be so tightly inserted in the tubular body A as to press the board I against the plastic sheet G and slightly stretch the same.

The stitching H should desirably be slightly outside of the lower side corners 26 and front and back corners 27 and 28 of the board so that the plastic material will turn around the corner edge 26 as indicated in FIG. 3a and so that such corner edge may be forced downwardly by the stuffing being inserted therein.

Upon sewing the rear seam 11, the stuffing may be further compressed to give the desired amount of extension or stretching of the edges 29 of the plastic sheet G across the edges of the board J.

The stuffing material K will exert a slight frictional effect upon the enlarged top knobs 30 of the pivot shafts 15 acting as a slight brake upon the swinging movement of said pivot shafts.

Desirably, the toy may be made about 9 to 12" in width, 10 to 12 in height and about 15 to in length.

These dimensions will vary with the various animals.

The board itself may be made of a thickness of to /4", a width of about 7" which would be about 1" less than the maximum width of the toy and about 1" less on each side and may have a length of about 14" and about 1" less than the toy on each side.

The plastic sheet material is desirably of sheet polyethylene, polypropylene or vinyl material, and it should have a thickness slightly greater than the woven fabric excluding the plush which forms the tubular body A.

It should be slightly stretchable so as to permit the slight penetration of the edges of the board below the stitching to form the corners 29 as indicated in FIG. 3a.

The pivot mounts or tubular members 12 should be desirably positioned between /2 to /4 in and at the maximum 1" in from the adjacent side and end edges of the board I.

Desirably, the front of the body is doubly stitched as indicated at 40 so as to have extra strength when stuffed.

As indicated, the stufiing should be sufficient to bulge the front, back and sides of the stuffed animal as indicated at 41 on the sides in FIG. 4 and 42 and 43 at the front and back.

Desirably the sides should be so regulated that a small child about the age of 1 /2 to 3 can ride the toy astride while its legs may touch the ground or floor.

The plastic material G is generally of a cast plastic sheet about to 6 in thickness.

The stufiing material inserted as indicated at 44 between the edges of the board 45 and 46 between the sides 47 of the board I and the woven enclosure A will hold the board and together with the pressure to form the corners will assure that the board will be held in centered position.

Although the plastic is shown as exceeding the width of the board, it need not exceed the width of the board and may be of the same width as the board.

Desirably, there will be four locking members, one for each wheel, to hold the board and cover firmly in position.

In assembly it may be desirabe first to drill the board I with four holes, one at each corner thereof, and then to die-cut the plastic upon being placed on the board, so that the holes will coincide.

After the sheet has been matched with the holes in the board and the holes die-cut in the sheet G, the locking device 19 and the sleeves 12 may be inserted.

The plastic sheet G, together with the board I is usually of such a size that only the plush or pile body is visible from the outside of the device.

Normally, the plastic sheet G should be stitched over the bottom face of the board I.

'As many changes could be made in the above wheeeled stuffed toy, and many widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. A stuffed toy comprising a tubular woven plush body having outwardly bulged top, side and end faces, stuffing therein to expand said faces, a plastic sheet forming the bottom wall of the body, a board pressed onto said sheet between said stuffing and said bottom wall and a plurality of pivotally mounted wheels located at and connected to the corners of said board to support said toy upon the floor and enable rolling movements thereof, said plastic sheet being of cast sheet material and said plush body being formed of a woven fabric having a thickness slightly less than that of the plastic sheet and said plastic sheet being stretched across the bottom, lower edges and lower corners of said board and being stitched around the periphery of said board to said woven plush body fabric, the lower corners of said board slightly penetrating said plastic sheet.

2. A stuffed toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said plastic material is polyethylene.

3. A stuffed toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said plastic material is polypropylene.

4. A stuffed toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said plastic material is a vinyl resin.

5. A stuffed toy comprising a tubular woven plush body having outwardly bulged top, side and end faces, stuffing therein to expand said faces, a plastic sheet forming the bottom wall of the body, a board pressed onto said sheet and a plurality of pivotally mounted wheels located at and connected to the corners of said board to support said toy upon the floor and enable rolling movements thereof, said plastic sheet being stitched at its edges to said woven plush body and said stitched edges being positioned outside the lower edges of said board, said plastic sheet being of cast sheet material and said plush body being formed of a woven fabric having a thickness slightly less than that of the plastic sheet and said plastic sheet being stretched across the bottom, lower edges and lower corners of said board and being stitched around the periphery of said board to said woven plush body fabric, the lower corners of said board slightly penetrating said plastic sheet.

6. A stuffed toy comprising a tubular woven plush body having outwardly bulged top, side and end faces, stuffing therein to expand said faces, a plastic sheet forming the bottom wall of the body, a board pressed onto said sheet and a plurality of pivotally mounted wheels located at and connected to the corners of said board to support said toy upon the floor and enable rolling movements thereof, said board being shorter and narrower than the maximum width and length of the body and also being shorter and narrower than the maximum Width of the plastic sheet and the stuffing extending between the side edges of the board and the adjacent side edges of the body so as to hold said board in position, said plastic sheet being of cast sheet material and said plush body being formed of a woven fabric having a thickness slightly less than that of the plastic sheet and said plastic sheet being stretched across the bottom, lower edges and lower corners of said board and being stitched around the periphery of said board to said woven plush body fabric, the lower corners of said board slightly penetrating said plastic sheet.

7. A stuffedtoy comprising a tubular Woven plush body having outwardly bulged top, side and end faces, stuffing therein to expand said faces, a plastic sheet forming the botom wall of the body, a board pressed onto said sheet and a plurality of pivotally mounted wheels located at and connected to the corners of said board to support said toy upon the floor and enable rolling movements thereof, said' pivotally mounted Wheels including resilient tubular members extending through the plastic sheet and the board toothed cut members to hold them in position for teeth extending into the board and plastic sheet and yoke members carrying wheels positioned below the bottom of the toy, said plastic sheet being of cast sheet material and said plush body being formed of a woven fabric having a thickness slightly less than that of the plastic sheet and said plastic sheet being stretched across the bottom, lower edges and lower corners of said board and being stitched around the periphery of said board to said woven plush body fabric, the lower corners of said board slightly penetrating said plastic sheet.

8. A four corner Wheeled stuffed animal toy comprising a side, front, rear and top extended stuffed animal body formed of a tubular woven plush fabric with lower front rear and sides edges and with a finished head construction and rear obliquely and vertically sewn rear portion having a common meeting point at the top rear of the body and vertically and obliquely outwardly and downwardly extending seams, a bottom plastic sheet stitched to the lower edges of the tubular Woven body at the lower portion of the front, rear and sides of the body, said plastic sheet being of about the same weight and thickness as the woven plush fabric, a rectangular stiff horizontal board of lesser length and width than the body and the bottom plastic sheet, said board having sharp upper and lower top and bottom front side and rear edges, stuffing under substantial outward pressure in said tubular fabric causing outward bulging of the top, front,

rear, and sides of the body and forcing the lower edges and corners of said board onto the plastic sheet inside of the edges of the plastic sheet, the lower corners of said board slightly penetrating said plastic sheet.

9. The toy of claim 8, said stitching of the plastic sheet of the lower edges being just outside of said corners and below the top of the board and rotatable wheels having mounting members extending through the plastic sheet and the board and into the stufling at the corners of the board and said stuffing frictionally retarding swinging of the corner wheels.

10. The toy of claim 8, the plastic material being of cast vinyl resins of about to inch in thickness.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,507,663 9/24 Carley et al 46-221 X 1,673,759 6/28 Smith 46-158 1,846,393 2/32 Hankins 46-158 X 2,524,695 10/50 Daugherty 46-103 FOREIGN PATENTS 821,529 10/59 Great Britain.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A STUFFED TOY COMPRISING A TUBULAR WOVEN PLUSH BODY HAVING OUTWARDLY BULGED TOP, SIDE AND END FACES, STUFFING THEREIN TO EXPAND SAID FACES, A PLASTIC SHEET FORMING THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE BODY, A BOARD PRESSED ONTO SAID SHEET BETWEEN SAID STUFFING AND SAID BOTTOM WALL AND A PLURALITY OF PIVOTALLY MOUNTED WHEELS LOCATED AT AND CONNECTED TO THE CORNERS OF SAID BOARD TO SUPORT SAID TOY UPON THE FLOOR AND ENABLE ROLLING MOVEMENTS THEREOF, SAID PLASTIC SHEET BEING OF CAST SHEET MATERIAL AND SAID PLUSH BODY BEING FORMED OF A WOVEN FABRIC HAVING A THICKNESS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THAT OF THE PLASTIC SHEET AND SAID PLASTIC SHEET BEING STRETCHED ACROSS THE BOTTOM, LOWER EDGES AND LOWER CORNERS OF SAID BOARD AND BEING STITCHED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID BOARD TO SAID WOVEN PLUSH BODY FABRIC, THE LOWER CORNERS OF SAID BOARD SLIGHTLY PENETRATING SAID PLASTIC SHEET. 